Modification by rumen of hypercalcemic activity of Solanum malacoxylon on the chick embryo.

Abstract

Pretreatment in vitro of an aqueous extract of Solanum malacoxylon leaves with ovine ruminal fluid stimulates its hypercalcemic effects when injected in vivo to 15 day-old chick embryos. Two lipid soluble fractions isolated from the incubated extract by Sephadex LH-20 chromatography, shown previously to promote 32P absorption in the rat intestine, can induce hypercalcemia in the embryos. These results confirm the vitamin D-like nature of both fractions.